In one of the writing courses I did last month, I learned that there are two types of writers: plotters and pantsers. Plotters plot out their story before they start. They probably have an outline for the book, detailing the twists and turns so that they know what happens before they even write the first sentence. … Continue reading So quiet at this time of year. Not much on at all. Said no-one ever.
What’s one thing you wish you could change about yourself? Unless you’re interested in surgery, botox or dragon’s blood cream (which has the same results as surgery, didn’t you know?), you’re stuck with the way you look. Maybe I could lose a few kilos or tone up, but I’m not going to use my one … Continue reading What’s one thing you wish you could change about yourself?
Today I’m thinking about what I could do to make the world a better place. This isn’t the sort of thing I usually think about when I’m making kids’ lunches (usually then I’m thinking about why I didn’t go to bed earlier). Or when I’m driving the girls to town (contemplating then why I didn’t … Continue reading What could you do to make the world a better place?
Today is World Prematurity Day when we focus everyone's attention on the global problem of premature birth. Today I thought a lot about Elsie, about all of the premature babies born around the world, and especially about the amazing medical teams that do all they can for these babies and their families. Last year I … Continue reading World Prematurity Day
An ex-boyfriend once accused me of tiring of things quickly. ‘You get sick of cutting your fingernails,’ he said. ‘And there are only ten of them.’ (He was right in a way, I did get tired of him quickly.) I thanked him very much. It was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said … Continue reading Talking about things isn’t actually getting them done
And just like that, our mob of sheep was halved. We welcomed Jackson two years ago, fighting over who bottle-fed him (I won a lot of the time): Just before we go on, can we take a closer look at Maeve? As he got older, we chased him out of the garden by swinging an empty bucket at … Continue reading Goodbye Jackson and thank you
I read something somewhere about -- do I start all my conversations like that? I think I do -- allowing more time to do the things you want to do, and how it makes you happy. Or happier. Or something. Today I was making lunches for school and kinder and checking the cuff of Elsie’s … Continue reading This is as good as it gets
Sometimes when I’m pulling out another load of tangled, wet clothes, I want to turn my head to the side and slam it onto the top of the washing machine. But I don’t. I carry the basket out to the clothes line and start trying to figure out which things can share pegs because the … Continue reading Anyone else had a bad day this week?
Eight years ago I learned that I wasn’t the most important thing in the world. In the days to follow, I learned that premature babies aren’t just small. That a birth can be celebrated and grieved. In the months to follow, I learned that my vision of perfect was appallingly naive; medical staff warn of … Continue reading Eight years of lessons I didn’t know I needed
